


And since we've no place to go (okay we do but you're cute so...) let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

by WinterRose527



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Delays, Fluff, airport, any canon is accidental
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-20 11:35:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17021931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterRose527/pseuds/WinterRose527
Summary: These days it’s a holiday tradition in and of itself to get stuck in an airport. As far as traditions went, Sansa was much more partial to listening to Christmas music while decorating the tree and Robb had been known to make use of the mistletoe a time or two. Though the eldest Stark siblings had done absolutely everything right to try to get home to Winterfell, there was no stopping tradition, and maybe, just a little bit of Christmas magic…*reposted because of technical difficulties





	1. Oh the weather outside is frightful...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sansaclarkes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansaclarkes/gifts).



There was nothing that could zap the Christmas spirit quicker than traveling home for Christmas. The people in the airport had been absolutely ugly, and more than one had tried to shove Sansa out of the way. Robb had been there to steady her though and gave a few of his own shoves when people got too close to her, so she was alright.

 

After both living in the Riverlands for the past couple of years, they knew that traveling north during the holidays was difficult so they’d planned accordingly. They’d shown up to the airport a few hours before their flight because they knew the lines would be insane. Given that Robb traveled so much for work though, they were able to breeze through the bag-drop and the security lines. It had been easy.

 

Too easy.

 

When they went to their gate they found out that the plane meant to take them north hadn’t even _left_ the Vale, which meant that they were at least three hours delayed. They’d tried to get on a different flight but everything was booked and delayed so it didn’t really matter. They’d hung around the gate for a little bit but Robb was _impatient_ to say the least and his incessant leg shaking had been driving her crazy so she’d suggested a drink at one of the terminal’s new cocktail bars.

 

Sansa didn’t trust any airport with bars and restaurants designed for leisure, however she had to admit that her lemon drop martini was making her forget what all of the fuss was about. As was the very handsome man across the u-shaped bar who had been angrily staring at his whiskey for the past fifteen minutes…

 

“Would you like me to pass him a note and ask if he likes you too?,” her older brother asked.

 

“Hmm?,” she asked, her attention flitting back to him.

 

“You have been staring at the guy since we sat down!,” Robb guffawed.

 

“Say it a little louder Robb, I don’t think Mom and Dad heard you back in Winterfell!,” she growled.

 

“You asked for it,” her older brother said with a grin and then to her utter dismay shouted across the bar, “Oi! You with the man bun!” Robb turned to her and said softly, “ _Seriously Sansa he has a man bun… are you sure you really want such a hipster?_ ”

 

“What are you doing?!,” Sansa seethed at him.

 

Before Robb could answer the man said, “Yeah?”

 

“Come join us!,” Robb called.

 

The entire bar was now looking at them, which didn’t fluster Robb at all of course. He had always been outgoing, the captain of all of his sports team, the president of his fraternity, and now with his role in Tully Corp. he spoke publicly all the time, even appearing on the Sunday morning shows.

 

In spite of the common misbelief, Sansa was _not_ like that. She was talkative with her family and friends but not strangers. There was no one she was more talkative around than Robb, he was her older brother and best friend after all, so he sometimes forgot she wasn’t like that around everyone.

 

Plus he was a troublemaker.

 

A few people seemed to recognise Robb, despite the fact that he was dressed down in jeans and a sweater and not in his usual armor of pressed suits, and a few seemed like _they_ might want to join them. That was not to mention the women who had been casting moon eyes at him since he sat down.

 

The only one who didn’t seem interested in joining them, in fact, was the man he’d invited to.

 

Even still he grabbed his glass and got off his chair and walked around the bar. There was something to the way he walked that seemed at odds with himself. His body was made for movement, that much was clear, but he wove through like he was trying not to take up too much space.

 

Sansa knew what that was like. She had her legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap while Robb was in an open pose, his legs spread, his arm resting casually on the back of her chair.

 

The man finally made his way over and she felt her palms sweating. He was even more gorgeous up close, with full pouty lips and deep charcoal eyes, his luscious black curls pulled away from his face. He was undeniably northern, and though a _tiny_ bit on the short side, was large and imposing - even if he didn’t want to be.

 

“Hey man, sorry for the scene,” Robb said jovially, “You just seemed like you could use some company.”

 

The man’s eyes met hers and she could feel the blush all the way down in her toes. She tried for a smile and he seemed to as well.

 

“He always like this?,” the man asked her.

 

“ _Always_ ,” she sighed, as though Robb wasn’t her favourite person in the world.

 

She was glad she had though, because this time his smile seemed genuine and it lasted as he settled into the seat next to Robb.

 

“What’s your name?,” Robb asked him.

 

“Jon… Snow,” he told them, “And you are?”

 

“I’m Robb Stark, and this is my little sister Sansa,” Robb explained, which made her sound about five years old.

 

The man’s eyes met hers briefly again though as if reassessing something and then he kind of half smiled to himself and took a sip of his whiskey at long last.

 

She took a sip of her drink as well glaring at Robb when he turned to look at her like _I’ve now gotten him over here and his name - do something!_

 

 _Doing something_ wasn’t really Sansa’s strong suit when it came to men though and Robb knew that, so he stood up.

 

“I’m uh… hungry, I’m going to go grab something from the vending machines. You guys want anything?”

 

“Didn’t you just get something from the vending machine?,” Sansa wondered, looking around for the bag she’d seen.

 

She couldn’t quite believe that her protective older brother was going to leave her alone with a stranger.

 

“I uh… am still hungry,” Robb coughed, “I’ll be right back.”

 

With that he walked away and she took another sip of her martini.

 

“Doesn’t he know you can get food here?,” Jon asked her.

 

_Yes, but he’s a troublemaker. Always has been._

 

“His ex-girlfriend was a bit of a health freak,” Sansa explained, “They broke up a couple of weeks ago and since then it’s been all cheeseburgers and Christmas cookies!”

 

“Maybe I should give that a try,” Jon said, and held up his whiskey, “Old reliable doesn’t seem to be doing the trick…”

 

He gave her a sheepish smile as he took a sip and her heart seemed to jingle in her chest like sleigh bells.

 

“Oh,” she said, resting her elbow on the bar and her chin in her palm. Before she could think better of what she was doing she reached her other hand out and touched his strong forearm, “I’m so sorry…”

 

“Is that so?,” Jon asked, his charcoal eyes falling to her lips and her cream sweater, down her arm to where her hand rested on him. His gaze traveled back up to her eyes and he gave her a shy smile, “Because suddenly I’m not.”

 

***

 

Robb walked through the airport, past the newsstands and the other restaurants. Past the first group of vending machines. He kept walking past the gate where his and Sansa’s flight was meant to take off from until he got to the vending machine near Gate E7.

 

The selection was terrible, all corn nuts and off-brand cookies, but he pulled out his wallet and grabbed a couple of singles. He shoved one in and it made that sad little noise of not accepting his dollar. He did it again and the noise happened again, but this time, though reason told him it was impossible, the vending machine seemed _annoyed_ with him.

 

He looked down and realised that he’d been putting it in upside down. He hadn’t really been paying attention. Well he had been, but not to the vending machine.

 

All of his attention was taken up by the gorgeous blonde sitting on the floor next to the machine. Her legs were crisscrossed, her computer in her lap and she was typing furiously, her phone resting sandwiched between her shoulder and her ear.

 

“I think that’s a bad idea,” she said into the phone. “Well, grandfather, the reason my opinion matters is because it’s my decision.”

 

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing and focused his attention back on the machine. He shoved his dollar back in and to his dismay it made that sound again.

 

“Grandfather, hold on a moment,” he heard her say and then she peered around the side of the machine, “Do you need a dollar?”

 

“Oh uh… no,” he shook his head, “I think the machine is broken.”

 

She picked up a bag of off-brand cookies and smiled before popping one in her mouth.

 

“That must be it,” she said and then disappeared again behind the machine. He still heard her though, “Just some man in the airport… because those lounges are stuffy… why does that matter?… Well if you must know I am sitting on the floor outside the bathrooms next to a vending machine… Grandfather? Are you overcome with pride?”

 

He gave up on buying the snack that he didn’t really want in the first place as she hung up the phone.

 

“Thanks for the offer…,” he said, “Sorry if it caused trouble with your grandfather.”

 

She looked up at him and grinned, “Oh please that was the most fun I’ve had all day. He’s about to call my mother and lecture her for not raising me correctly. _It’s a Christmas tradition_.”

 

“I can’t really imagine you being a disappointment to anyone…,” he said, before he could think better of it.

 

A delicate blush spread on her cheeks and he was glad for his recklessness. She really was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, with warm golden hair and aristocratic features. Her slim body was covered in a simple camel turtleneck and dark jeans and he liked that her designer bag was resting so carelessly against the vending machine.

 

He’d first spotted her as he and Sansa were asking for more information on their flight. She’d walked by and his eyes had followed her in spite of the fact that he was speaking to the gate agent.

 

He’d thought he’d lost her but had seen her once again when he went to find the bathroom. This was now his third time visiting this vending machine. At this rate his carry-on would be full of corn nuts by the time they took off.

 

“Is your flight delayed?,” he asked.

 

“Me? No, I’m just here for the ambience…,” the girl joked. “You?”

 

“Three hours at least…,” he sighed, and admitted, “Waiting is not my strong suit.”

 

“A man who doesn’t like to wait…,” she teased, “They should study you… you know, for science.”

 

He chuckled and nodded, “Yeah well, don’t go lumping me in with all men.”

 

She smiled and said, “That’s what all men say,” she picked up her head phones and said, “Let me know if you need that dollar. Those corn nuts aren’t going to eat themselves…”

 

With that she stuck the earbuds in and started typing again and the only thing to do was walk away.

 

He was all the way to gate E2 when he realised that she had noticed him too.

 

***

 

“Come on tell me… _tell me_ ,” she pleaded.

 

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you,” Jon chuckled, “… ten.”

 

“YOU BELIEVED IN SANTA CLAUSE UNTIL YOU WERE TEN?!,” Sansa questioned.

 

“Say it a little louder, I don’t think the passengers in the air heard you,” he teased.

 

“I’m sorry I just… _ten_ … wow…,” Sansa grinned.

 

“I’m an only child,” Jon shrugged, “And I uh… didn’t really have that many friends…”

 

“Oh well now I can’t make fun of you,” Sansa pouted.

 

He crinkled his eyes at her and said, “I might just let you get away with it. How about you? How old?”

 

She squinted and thought about it and tried not to blush when she felt his eyes on her, “Four…no five, I was five. Robb’s best friend Theon told me. Robb was SO mad.”

 

“He protective?,” Jon guessed.

 

Sansa rolled her eyes and took a sip of her martini, “Horribly so. Which is why I’m a _little_ surprised that he left me alone with you…,” he raised his eyebrows at her and she felt like such an idiot, “I mean…not that… not that you’re - you know…”

 

“I uh, wouldn’t be too sure of that one Sansa Stark,” he told her.

 

He looked at her like he couldn’t quite believe he’d just said that and she _certainly_ couldn’t believe that he’d just said that but thankfully Robb came back at that moment.

 

“What’d I miss?,” he asked as he retook his seat.

 

Jon glanced at her like he was afraid she’d reveal his secret. She wasn’t sure which one but she narrowed her eyes at him anyway because she couldn’t help teasing him a little. She also couldn’t help teasing Robb.

 

“They pushed our flight back another half hour,” she lied.

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

“You didn’t hear?,” Jon went on, “They made a few announcements…”

 

“Yeah Robb, what were you doing that you didn’t hear that?,” she goaded. To her immense surprise her confident older brother started blushing. He rarely blushed because he never really got embarrassed. She looked at him further and realised he didn’t have any snack with him, “I thought you were going to get food?”

 

“Machine was broken,” he shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

 

“So where are you guys headed?,” Jon asked.

 

Robb looked at her like _you guys didn’t even get that far_ and answered for both of them, “Headed to the north, to Winterfell.”

 

“That’s where my mum is from,” Jon said with a grin, “You ever been to Old Nan’s diner?”

 

Robb groaned in delight, “Those kidney pies…”

 

“With the peas and onions,” Jon moaned back.

 

The pair of them cheers’d to Old Nan and she figured it was as safe a time as any to leave them.

 

“I’m going to run to the ladies room, watch my stuff Robb?,” she asked.

 

“You got it, Dovey,” he nodded.

 

She smiled at Jon who gave her a small smile back as she got out of her chair. She peered around for the nearest ladies room and saw a line all the way out the door.

 

She groaned, “By the time I get through that line they’ll be calling us to board.”

 

_And Jon Snow will be long gone._

 

“There’s a bathroom right by the vending machines at gate E7,” Robb told her.

 

She glanced at him and he coloured again, and then she glanced at Jon but he was also looking at Robb curiously. Robb looked between them and took a casual sip of his drink. He put the drink down on the counter letting out an _ah_ noise that sounded completely fake.

 

She moved back and rested her elbow on the counter again and placed her other hand on her hip.

 

“That’s specific,” she told him.

 

“ _Very_ specific,” Jon agreed, leaning forward.

 

“I fly a lot,” Robb pointed out.

 

“And tell me, Mr. Stark,” Sansa said, putting on her best no-nonsense police chief voice, “Do you frequent the ladies room often in your travels?”

 

“Don’t you have to pee?,” Robb asked her smugly.

 

She narrowed her eyes at him because that was _mean_. He knew the moment she thought about having to pee she _really_ had to pee.

 

“Jon,” she snapped.

 

“On it,” Jon nodded and she walked away quickly towards E7.

 

She did some of her own shoving this time around and by the time she got to E4 she really was practically running.

 

She saw the ladies room sign and mercifully there was no line so she ran in. When she was finished she washed her hands and dried them. She was about to leave but then she thought about Jon’s charcoal eyes and the way his forearms looked in his denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the look he’d given her right before Robb came back so she turned towards the mirror and checked her appearance.

 

Her hair looked a little flat so she flipped her head over and shook it out and then flipped it back up. She rubbed underneath her eyes, making sure no mascara had landed there and pinched her cheeks. Airport lighting was _no_ friend to anyone, least of all a girl with fair skin.

 

Content that that was as good as it was going to get she straightened the hem of her sweater and left the bathroom, where she promptly tripped over a very cute brown ankle boot.

 

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry!,” a voice said.

 

She turned to her left to find the prettiest girl she’d ever seen, sitting with her computer in her lap. Her bag resting against the…vending machine.

 

_Oh._

 

“Don’t be,” she said with a small smile, “I’m Sansa Stark.”

 

“Myrcella Baratheon,” the girl said. “That was such a meet-cute. Don’t tell me you own a little bookshop that my big bad family is going to run out of business? Ooh or are you maybe a secret _princess_ and we could trade lives for the day?”

 

In all her life Sansa had never met someone in her life who reminded her so much of her outgoing older brother. Life seemed to bubble up from within her, and she seemed to have the kind of confidence, like Robb did, that leant itself towards kindness. And maybe a _little_ bit of mischief.

 

_Apparently revenge is best served out of a vending machine._

 

She grinned at her and shook her head, “Sadly no. Even still, any chance you could use a drink, Myrcella Baratheon?”

 

***

 

“Are you serious?,” Robb asked.

 

“What?,” Jon asked innocently.

 

“You just watched my sister walk away for a full thirty seconds,” Robb pointed out.

 

“Well after that I couldn’t see her so…,” Jon shrugged and took a sip of his drink.

 

Robb glanced over at him in disbelief and then shook his head and went to take a sip of his own drink. He raised it to his lips and then looked back over at Jon, who merely nodded at him, so he took a small sip and set it down on the counter and turned to him again.

 

“Did you just fucking say that with a straight face?,” he asked him.

 

“It was challenging but, yeah, yeah I did,” Jon nodded.

 

Robb chuckled and shook his head and took another sip. Jon did the same but half-way through he snorted and then Robb was really laughing as he clapped him on the back.

 

“Sorry,” Jon said finally, “She’s just…you know. I mean, _wow_.”

 

“Not helping your case, mate,” Robb sighed.

 

“No I mean…she’s not just pretty she’s… _funny_ like really funny and sweet and… I don’t know she’s… shy and kind of…,” Jon went on, trailing off with a dopey grin.

 

“You do realise you’ve known her for like fifteen minutes right?,” Robb reminded him. “I mean, as her older brother I can confirm that she is all those things and more. She’s my favourite person in the entire world but…”

 

“Haven’t you ever seen someone and just kind of known?,” Jon asked him.

 

“What, like love at first sight?,” Robb scoffed, mostly to banish the image of the beautiful golden haired girl from his mind. That teasing grin and those light green eyes and the haughty way she had spoken on the phone to her seemingly overbearing grandfather. “What do you still believe in Santa, too?”

 

“No man, not since I was ten,” Jon said as though it was an accomplishment, “But uh, let’s talk about E7.”

 

“E7?,” Robb coughed, “What about E7?”

 

Jon took a casual sip of his drink and gestured to the bartender for another round.

 

“You tell me…,” Jon suggested.

 

He wasn’t entirely sure what it was about this guy. They’d just met and at first he seemed completely shy but there was something to him. Like he _knew_ him or something. It was unnerving. But considering the way he’d reacted to Sansa, maybe he’d understand how he was feeling about this girl.

 

“Well -“

 

“Jon, Robb, meet my new friend Ella!,” Sansa said brightly.

 

He and Jon both turned to look and now Robb felt like he was the one who was going to choke. _Ella_ , was the girl from the vending machines. The girl with the teasing grin and then light green eyes.

 

He thought she was beautiful when he saw her sitting down, but there was something else to her as she stood in front of him now. Her body was slender and perfect and she carried herself like a princess and her golden hair fell halfway down her back and he wondered if at any moment she’d start dancing with sugar plums.

 

She wasn’t looking at him though, she was looking at Jon.

 

“Of all the gin joints, in all the airports…,” Jon intoned in a gravelly voice eliciting a truly breathtaking giggle.

 

Sansa’s eyes caught his and he knew that she was thinking the same thing that he was.

 

_If these two fall in love Christmas is cancelled._

 

“You beast!,” Ella said, wrapping her arms around his neck, “Where are you heading?”

 

“North, where else?,” he asked her.

 

“ _King’s Landing_ ,” Ella grumbled. “Tywin’s orders.”

 

Jon chuckled and rubbed her hair softly, the way he did to Sansa sometimes when she was upset.

 

“King’s Landing, huh?,” Jon asked her. Jon’s eyes met his and he grinned, “Any chance that’s leaving out of gate E7?”

 


	2. It doesn't show signs of stopping...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the surge of support on this one! I am so glad you are enjoying. 
> 
> This is just a short chapter, more to come soon :)

“So uh, when did you two meet?,” Robb asked, because Jon’s fucking arms were still around Ella’s slim waist and she was all but sitting in his lap.

 

The pair looked at each other and Ella scrunched her nose at Jon.

 

“Was it the night of the fire?,” Ella asked.

 

“No, I think it was at the hospital wasn’t it?,” Jon asked her.

 

“Ooh no it was at the police station, remember? When that prostitute asked me about my perfume…,” Ella corrected.

 

Sansa looked at him in alarm and he looked back at her. At first glance Jon and Ella _seemed_ totally normal, but maybe they had been wrong.

 

“Do you always meet under such dire circumstances?,” Sansa asked them.

 

Ella giggled sleigh bells, “At first anyway. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. We live in the same apartment building, which we didn’t find out until Jon gave me a ride home from the police station. My car was broken into and I went to file a report and he was the detective assigned to my case.”

 

“And the hospital?,” Robb wondered.

 

“Our neighbor was sick and everyone was taking turns visiting her,” Jon explained, “It’s a pretty big building but everyone knows everyone. That’s how I _really_ got to know this one.”

 

Robb wanted to know just how _really_ really was, but Sansa wisely asked, “And the fire?” 

Jon’s face got very red and Ella’s grin got very wide.

 

“It could have happened to anyone,” she said to him though.

 

“That’s not what the chief said,” Jon shook his head, “And I quote _Son, I’ve seen a lot of stupid in my time. None as stupid as this_.”

 

Robb chuckled even though Ella was using Jon to steady herself as she bent over and laughed.

 

“After that we stayed _away_ from all things 911 related, knock on wood!,” Ella said with a grin.

 

“And um, are you guys…,” Robb started and trailed off.

 

The pair of them looked at him blankly. He shifted uncomfortably and looked at Sansa for help.

 

“Have you guys ever…,” she started and also trailed off.

 

Ella threw her arm around Jon and sighed dramatically, “Oh Jon, I think they want to know if we’re… _lovers_.”

 

Jon grinned down at her and tilted his head the way Grey Wind did sometimes when he was trying to figure something out.

 

“I’m trying to determine how to say this…,” Jon started. _Oh god, they’re in love._ “How to explain…,” _They have three children together._ “Without…”

 

“I’ll field this one, Snow,” Ella said with a grin, tapping him lightly on the face a couple of times, her arm still wrapped around his neck. Robb was busy trying to see if she was wearing an engagement ring he’d somehow missed. She turned to them and said, “This man here is just about the sexiest man I’ve never been attracted to.”

 

“Substitute _sexiest man_ with _most beautiful woman_ and yeah, same,” Jon nodded.

 

Robb was sure he didn’t imagine Sansa’s sigh of relief, though how he heard it over his own he had no idea. He couldn’t entirely explain what it was about Ella. He didn’t even know her, but even still he was sure that it wasn’t just that she was beautiful.

 

She was that, of course, but there was something about this girl. Something he’d never felt before and that he was dying to go on feeling.

 

Jon scooted over a seat and slapped his hand on the one he’d just vacated and Ella hopped up.

 

“Can we get a dry gin martini with a twist for this pest, please?,” Jon asked the bartender. He turned and placed his hand lightly on Sansa’s arm, “Another lemon drop for you?”

 

Sansa blushed and nodded at him and when he turned back to order Ella grinned at Sansa and _ever-so-subtly_ pointed in between Sansa and Jon.

 

Sansa blushed and Robb nodded and Ella closed her eyes and raised her hands above her head, wiggling in her seat. She was so fucking cute. Robb thought the fire chief had it right, Jon was an idiot.

 

But he was an idiot clearly besotted with Sansa so he got marks for that.

 

“What are you doing?,” Jon asked Ella.

 

“Dancing,” she evaded smoothly, that haughtiness that he found incredibly sexy back in her tone, “They are playing _Jingle Bell Rock_ and you expect me _not_ to dance? Do you know me at all?”

 

“My mistake,” Jon grinned, handing first Sansa’s drink to her and then Ella’s. “This one is majorly into the Christmas spirit.”

 

“Show them the picture of Ghost!,” Ella urged him.

 

“I still haven’t decided if I’m sending this to PETA yet but…,” Jon joked and reached in his jeans and grabbed out his phone.

 

He scrolled through and turned it to Sansa.

 

“Oh my goodness!,” Sansa cooed, closing the distance between them and looking over his shoulder, “He is such a button covered in those Christmas lights. Do you have anymore pictures?”

 

“Loads,” Jon nodded, “Here.”

 

With that the pair of them started scrolling through what Robb imagined to be pictures of Jon’s dog. Sansa, like him and everyone else in their family, loved dogs. Robb didn’t really trust people who didn’t.

 

Ella looked at the pair of them and smiled, a small dimple appearing in her cheek.

 

She turned to him and he raised his glass to her, “I’m Robb, by the way. I didn’t really introduce myself.”

 

“Not even when I offered you my dollar,” Ella chided, as she clinked her glass against hers and grinned, “Very poor form, Robb Stark.”

 

He took the seat next to her and rested his glass on the counter.

 

“Anyway I can make it up to you?”

 

She scrunched her nose and tapped a slender finger to her lips. He wasn’t sure if she was intentionally drawing his attention there or if it was just her lot in life to be utterly irresistible but either way he wondered if he could learn to like gin if he was tasting it from her tongue.

 

She grinned suddenly, and it was perhaps that most mischievous grin he’d ever seen on anyone other than himself - and possibly Theon.

 

Her voice was all innocence though when she suggested, “You could eat one of those bags of corn nuts…”

 

***

 

It was entirely possible that her older brother was in love.

 

It was the only explanation for why after eating the first bag of corn nuts he dug into the second.

 

He offered one to Ella and she took it before promptly spitting it out into a napkin and drinking half of her martini down.

 

“Enough, enough! You’re _forgiven_ ,” she assured Robb who’s entire face lit up when she squeezed his arm.

 

Sansa turned back to Jon and grinned at him and he held his drink up to her to cheers.

 

“Guess it wasn’t the junk food after all,” Jon said softly.

 

“I guess not,” Sansa said softly back. “Is she as nice as she seems?”

 

“Nicer,” Jon confirmed, “Heart of gold that one. What about _you,_ Sansa Stark, are you as nice as you seem?”

 

“Definitely not,” she said with a straight face.

 

“Oof,” Jon shook his head, taking a sip of his whiskey, “Guess I’m just going to have to let you break my heart then.”

 

Her eyes flicked up to his charcoal ones, looking for signs of mirth but finding none. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it, but there was something about Jon Snow.

 

She’d realised thirty seconds after Robb had left them alone that it wasn’t just that he was gorgeous, though he very obviously was. She actually questioned Ella’s sanity a bit for not being attracted to him. It was more than that though, he just seemed so _steady_ and _good._

 

She had to remind herself that she hadn’t known him more than an hour. It was hard though, when he had seemed so shy at first and now seemed so comfortable. She noticed that he had loosened up even more since Ella had come around, the way she was always more outgoing around Robb.

 

“Wait scroll back to that one!,” she pleaded.

 

Jon scrolled back to a picture of him with his dog Ghost as a puppy. He was holding him and looking down, his hair half up. It really was unfair for a man like him to be within fifty feet of a puppy.

 

_I wonder what he looks like holding a baby… For the love of Christmas get a hold of yourself, Stark._

 

“That was the day I got him,” Jon told her.

 

“Love at first sight,” she cooed with a grin.

 

He was silent for a moment and she peered up to look at him and found his eyes trailing over her face, “Yeah… I think it was. You believe in that?”

 

“What kind of world would it be if neither Santa Clause nor love at first sight were real?,” she asked. “We deserve one of them at least, don’t you think?”

 

He opened his mouth to say something but then his brow furrowed.

 

“Did you just hear that?,” he asked her.

 

“Hear what?,” she wondered.

 

“El,” he called lightly, “Did they just say flight 355?”

 

Ella turned around and said, “I think so, why?”

 

“Fuck!,” Jon exclaimed and got up from his chair. “That’s me! I have to - I… shit Sansa, I… I have to… El you’ll give her my number?”

 

“Sure,” Ella nodded, a confused expression on her face.

 

“Okay, thanks. I uh, well… I have to go… bye Sansa… I… god it was nice meeting you. Text me, or call me or… if you want! I’ve gotta…go…bye!”

 

With that he ran away leaving the three of them very confused.

 

Before she could say anything though she felt herself being turned around.

 

“Did you -,” _forget something?_

 

She didn’t get a chance to finish asking because he took her cheeks in his hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. He tasted a little bit like spearmint and a lot like whiskey and up close he smelled like firewood and something else masculine and warm. It was a soft kiss but so unexpected that she let out a sigh against him and she felt him smile before he pulled away.

 

“Merry Christmas, Sansa Stark,” he murmured. And then he was gone once again.

 

She pressed her fingertips to her lips and found them burning pleasantly. She was only vaguely aware that she was still in an airport, and that her brother was only three feet behind her.

 

That is of course, until she heard him ask Ella: “How long do you think it’ll take before he realises they were just announcing his flight is delayed another hour?”

 


	3. Oh the fire is slowly dying...

 

It had been a long time since he’d seen his little sister so smitten.

 

She was chatting with Ella but every so often she would just kind of smile to herself in a way that had nothing to do with what her new friend was saying.

 

Usually Robb would have a nervous pit in his stomach at this point. Sansa, for all her emotional maturity and intelligence had not always had such great taste in men. There had been one or two that Robb had been able to fend off before they even began, men who should have had no interest in a teenage girl, boys who he knew had a penchant for cruelty. But there had been others that he’d merely been able to punish for treating her poorly. She’d been single for some time now since the last one, a particularly bad break-up that had left her heart shattered and his knuckles scabbed for weeks.

 

There was something to Jon Snow though that he’d seen even before he came over. There was nothing cruel about him and for some reason Robb got the sense that he didn’t have a wandering eye either. It was Ella that had sealed it though.

 

_“He’s one of the good ones,” she told him when she caught him glancing over at Jon and Sansa, “In fact, he may just be the good one.”_

 

She seemed like the sort to be a good judge of character and she said it like you could bet your life on it. Or more importantly, like he could bet Sansa’s heart on it.

 

He caught Sansa’s eye and she blushed as she gave him a toothy grin. He couldn’t help but grinning back at her, she was so happy and angelic that she looked as though she belonged on top of a Christmas tree. His grin widened when Jon returned sheepishly, his bag slung over his shoulder and his hand in his pocket.

 

“So uh… my…,” he started and both girls turned to look at him, “Flight is delayed.”

 

“Is that right?,” Ella asked casually and Robb had to bite the inside of his cheek from laughing.

 

“Sansa I…,” Jon started but trailed off.

 

“You know what?,” Ella asked, “I should probably go see what’s going on with my flight. Hopefully it’ll be cancelled but I should at least see.” She turned and looked at him meaningfully and asked, “Want to keep me company?”

 

“Oh! Yeah, sure!,” he nodded. He wasn’t sure if he was more excited to spend time with Ella alone or not have to endure the awkwardness of Jon and Sansa discussing that kiss, or god forbid, repeating it. Either way he hopped up and said, “Dovey, you’ll watch my stuff?”

 

She nodded happily and without thinking he took Ella’s hand as she hopped off her seat. She glanced up at him in surprise and he wondered if she’d felt what he’d just felt. That _spark_ of something mixed in with the pure niceness of it.

 

He looked in his periphery to see if there was mistletoe anywhere, but he supposed that was too much to ask for.

 

He let go of her hand because he had no further excuse to be holding it, and his palm was tingling where it had just touched hers. He gestured for her with his other hand and she walked by him, wiggling her fingers lightly at Sansa and Jon.

 

He followed her out of the bar area and fell into step with her as they made for her gate.

 

“So cancelled, huh?,” he asked, “You’d really want to stay here alone for the holidays?”

 

She shrugged, “There are worse things than my own company.”

 

“I imagine most things fall under that category,” he told her, “I’m just sorry that time with your family is one of them…”

 

She glanced over at him and he wondered if he shouldn’t have said anything. He’d only known her for about a couple of hours and he’d really just _guessed_ about her family, even though it felt like he knew it. Felt like he knew her.

 

“You’re very kind,” she said though.

 

That warmed his whole body, and made him strangely sheepish at the same time. He didn’t lack for confidence, some might even say he had too much of it, but the idea of her seeing anything good in him at all caught him off guard, and the idea that it was something like _kindness_ felt all the more precious. He couldn’t tell her that though.

 

“Nah, I’m just hitting on you,” he joked.

 

“I know you are,” she said with a small smile, “But even still, I can tell. And I have a talent for it - separating the wheat from the chaff.”

 

He’d thought as much only moments before, so he believed her at her word and decided to take the compliment.

 

“So what would you do? If your flight was cancelled? What would your idea of a great staycation be?,” he asked.

 

“Ooh!,” she grinned, her eyes lighting up. She scrunched her nose adorably and went on, “ _Hmmm_ well, everyone kind of clears out so I’d have my run of the city. I’d spend a lot of time at the Riverlands Museum of Art, there are a few exhibitions I’ve been meaning to go back to when the crowds aren’t so terrible… ooh and there’s this coffee shop down on 8th that I would bring a book to and sit and order chai latte after chai latte and a plate of vanilla scones and sit there _all day_ … and I’d get a reservation for _one_ at Cafe Florian and I’d get all dressed up and do the tasting menu and get a bottle of Arbor Red and look at all the old men in their bowties and the women in their rubies and…sorry you really got more than you bargained for with this question…”

 

_Actually you just gave me a whole lot of date ideas for the New Year but…_

 

“Now I’m kind of hoping _my_ flight is cancelled,” he teased with a grin, “I could use a guide at the art museum. I _like_ art but I’m not totally sure I get it.”

 

She smiled at him and said, “Sometimes it’s more important to appreciate than understand.”

 

It was like she was in his mind. As though she knew that she was as desirable as she was enigmatic. In fact, she probably did. There was a confidence in her as well. It wasn’t cockiness but she seemed extremely self-aware. And if a girl like her could see herself clearly, there was no way she wouldn’t be confident.

 

“Maybe I’d like to do both,” he told her. “Any chance you’d help me?”

 

“Might do,” she said with a delicate blush.

 

They reached her gate and to both of their disappointment her flight was not cancelled. In fact, it was due for take off in 45 minutes.

 

“I guess the lessons will have to wait,” she sighed.

 

He took his phone out of his pocket and said, “I’m going to have to hold you to that. Can I grab your number?”

 

She gave him her phone number and then said, “And it’s Ella Baratheon.”

 

He cocked his eyebrow at her, “You think I’d forget your name?”

 

“Well…,” she grinned, “I wouldn’t want to go in as something like _Vending Machine Hottie_.”

 

He chuckled and teased, “What like that’d be _offensive_ or something? I mean it’s clearly a compliment.”

 

She let out a deep belly chuckle that was horribly endearing coming from her tiny body.

 

“Sit with me until I have to go?,” she asked, already tugging him towards a couple of empty seats.

 

“I might even stay until after you take off,” he confessed as they sat down.

 

He felt his ears turn pink but she saved him by saying, “Yeah, you might want to stay clear of the love birds.”

 

“You’re very kind, too,” he told her.

 

She smiled at him as though she knew exactly what he was talking about and then her face turned serious.

 

“Will you do me a favor?,” she asked. He nodded and she went on, “Ask her to be gentle with him. She seems like just about the loveliest girl I’ve ever met but… he’s had a rough go of it.”

 

“So has she,” he nodded.

 

Her face fell for a moment at that and she nodded. It would feel like a betrayal to Sansa to say anymore than that, even though Ella seemed like the kind of girl you could trust with secrets.

 

She brightened up quickly though and offered, “Maybe it’s fate then, that they met like this.”

 

“Do you believe in all that?,” he asked her, thinking of his conversation with Jon. “Fate, miracles, _magic_?”

 

She scrunched her nose adorably again as she thought about it.

 

“I don’t believe in much,” she admitted, “But in all my life I’ve never seen anything more magical than two people loving each other at the exact same time. How else can you explain something as impossible as that?”

 

He had never really thought about it that way but she was right.

 

“So I guess Jon and Sansa are this year’s Christmas miracle,” he suggested with a grin.

 

“Every Christmas needs one,” she agreed, her green eyes sparkling at him.

 

_Maybe some Christmases get two._

 

They started calling active military and anyone who needed extra time to get on board. People were lining up already, clearly afraid that after all this time they’d somehow miss the flight. Ella showed no signs of wanting to join them though, which he was grateful for.

 

“When do you get back to the city?,” he asked her.

 

“I… haven’t booked my ticket back yet,” she told him. He raised his eyebrows at her and she went on, “My family is trying to convince me to… stay… in King’s Landing… for…a while…”

 

His heart sunk in his chest. _Oh, so Christmas really is cancelled this year_.

 

“Is that what you and your grandfather were talking about?,” he wondered.

 

She nodded and sighed, pulling the sleeves of her sweater down over her hands and nibbling on her bottom lip.

 

“I’ve been working for my father’s family company here,” she explained, “And my grandfather thinks it’s time I take my place in _his_ company. There’s a big shiny office overlooking the Red Keep in King’s Landing and everything…”

 

“But…,” he prompted.

 

_Say it, please. Everything before the word but is horse shit. Tell me you don’t want to go._

 

“But there are all sorts of strings attached,” she shook her head. “And some strings can feel like a noose.”

 

Suddenly it went beyond not wanting to lose her before they even really began, and went to just not wanting this girl to be in this position. He was lucky, his father had encouraged him to work for his mother’s family company. They both knew he’d move north and take over Stark Industries eventually, but there was no pressure, no rush. As he looked at her now he started seeing the strings pulling her in different directions and he’d cut them all for her if he could.

 

“Well, as you said, it’s your decision,” he reminded her.

 

“I think you’re severely underestimating my family,” she joked.

 

“No,” he shook his head, “Just appropriately estimating you. And that is a talent of _mine_.”

 

That blush danced upon her cheeks again and he couldn’t help but stroke the trail of it softly. Her skin was impossibly smooth and warm to the touch and he liked the way her eyes widened and her lips parted when he made contact.

 

He retracted his hand slowly and glanced away from her before he pulled a Jon and just _kissed_ her. He saw that the line was starting to thin and he looked at the screen and saw that they were boarding zone four.

 

“What zone are you?,” he asked her.

 

“One,” she said with a small smile. “But I’m not in much of a hurry.”

 

“I hate to say it, but I think that plane’ll get into King’s Landing at the same time no matter when you board…”

 

“I know,” she nodded, her green eyes holding his like it was entirely possible she wouldn’t mind if he pulled a Jon, “But that’s not what I meant.”

 

_Oh._

 

_“FINAL BOARDING FOR FLIGHT 267 TO KING’S LANDING”_

 

They both stood up and he walked her over to the desk.

 

“You’ll say goodbye to Jon and Sansa for me?,” she asked.

 

“Yeah… of course. I…”

 

“Ma’am are you boarding the aircraft?,” one of the desk attendants asked.

 

“Yes, I am I just…,” she started and then turned back to him.

 

“I…,” he started again, but now both desk attendants were looking at him impatiently, “Have a safe flight.”

 

Her face fell for a moment and he knew then that he hadn’t mistaken that look in her eyes, but it was too late because she said a simple _You too_ and then turned and handed her boarding pass to the desk attendant and started walking down the gangway.

 

_Turn around, turn around, just once._

 

“Ella!,” he called, because even if fate existed he didn’t feel comfortable relinquishing all power to it. She turned around where she stood and looked at him. He knew that if he tried to pass the desk he’d get stopped and so he just shouted pitifully, “Merry Christmas!”

 

It was entirely possible that she thought he was an idiot, the desk attendants were certainly looking at him like he was, but her face broke into a heartbreakingly beautiful smile.

 

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and mouthed back _Merry Christmas_ and then she was gone.

 

Just like he promised he waited until her airplane took off towards King’s Landing, taking her and all of his Christmas spirit with it.

 

***

 

Jon took the seat he’d only recently vacated and she caught the bartender’s eye and smiled, indicating that he’d like another whiskey.

 

“I feel like an idiot,” he confessed.

 

“Anyone would have done the same thing,” she shrugged, “If we heard our flight number we would have ran too.”

 

He smiled at her sheepishly and said, “No, uh, I mean just _kissing_ you like that.”

 

“ _Oh_ ,” she nodded, “It was a bit rushed.”

 

“I know,” he nodded back at her, “I know and I’m sorry I mean, I would _never_ , I _have_ never kissed someone so quickly but there’s just something about you and I couldn’t stand walking away without doing it and…I’m sorry.”

 

Her entire body was warmed by him and his sheepishness and his interest and so she said with a bit of a teasing lilt in her voice, “Well what I meant, actually… is that the kiss was rushed. I hardly even had time to kiss you back.”

 

His eyes widened as he stared at her, “You… did you…you?”

 

His lack of eloquence made him all the more endearing so she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She felt what she hadn’t really gotten to feel before, that they were soft and warm and seemed to fit perfectly against hers. He was surprised, as she had been, but he caught on quickly and his thumbs brushed her jaw, holding her like she was something precious and rare and _his_. And as silly as it was after so little time she wanted to be, and sillier still, she knew she was.

 

They didn’t linger long, not nearly long enough for her, but when they parted Jon scooted his chair a little closer to hers and rested his arm on the back of her chair. He rested his other on the counter in front of her, boxing her in and smiling at her goofily.

 

He was not one who smiled often or randomly, so every smile felt earned and special. She smiled back at him and trailed her fingers over his forearm that was resting on the counter.

 

She too was not accustomed to random touches. She was affectionate with her family but found physical intimacy challenging usually. There was something about him though that was just so _touchable_ and he looked at her like it was perfectly lovely and normal.

 

“When do you come back to the city?,” he asked her.

 

“On the second,” she replied, “My family has a big New Years Eve party every year and Robb and I are never in any shape to travel on the first.”

 

He grinned at her and said, “It must be nice, having a sibling you’re so close with.”

 

She nodded, “He’s my favourite person in the world. We’re close with our other siblings too, but it’s always been me and him, you know?”

 

He thanked the bartender for his whiskey and took a small sip.

 

“Can I ask you something?,” he asked her. She nodded as she sipped her martini and he said, “Is he the sort that falls in love with a different girl every week?”

 

“No,” she shook her head, “Not at all actually. Girls love him, always have, but he was never much of a player. He’s had a couple of serious girlfriends and has dated others on and off but… to answer the question I think you’re asking… I’ve never seen him react to a girl like that.”

 

He didn’t smile but the corners of his eyes crinkled, “Ella brings out the beast in all men.”

 

“But not you?,” Sansa asked incredulously.

 

Ella was the prettiest girl she’d ever seen, and though Jon and her seemed undeniably platonic, it still belied reason that there had never been anything between them.

 

“I can be pretty beastly when it comes to her,” he shook his head, “But uh, not in _that_ way. I don’t know, it’s always been just friends between us. She’s one of the only people in the world I feel entirely comfortable with.”

 

That much was obvious from the way Jon had totally relaxed in her presence. She didn’t trust men innately, not anymore, but there was something about Jon that seemed so deeply good, so entirely steady and strong, that she found herself believing him at his word.

 

“Well that’s special,” she smiled, “Is she a player?”

 

He let out a guffaw and shook his head, “No. I mean, she goes on dates every so often, but that’s only because she get’s hit on every time she goes to grab her mail or goes to the gym the way I’m sure you do. She hasn’t really _dated_ anyone in… god… maybe a year or so? Never seen her look at a guy the way she looked at Robb though.”

 

“Do you think there’s something in the water?,” she asked with a grin.

 

“Maybe something in the air,” he offered.

 

_Christmas magic._

 

There was no explanation that made sense other than an impossible one. There was no other way to account for the fact that the four of them had met and that they had all connected in the way they had. It was rare enough that she would find Jon and he’d find her, or that Robb would find Ella and she’d find him right back, but Sansa had seen the way Jon and Robb had hit it off, and there was something about Ella that made her feel like they were friends already.

 

“Here’s to bad weather,” she held up her drink. He clinked his glass against hers and they both took a sip. “When do you come back?”

 

“The 28th,” he told her, “I have to work.”

 

“Are you working on New Years?,” she wondered.

 

She knew he was pretty far up in the police department, so he probably didn’t get assigned holidays anymore, but he seemed like the type that would offer to work them anyway.

 

“Doesn’t seem like it this year,” he told her, “I’ll know for sure on the 29th if they need the coverage but I doubt it. Chief Mormont doesn’t really leave those things to chance.”

 

She nodded and continued tracing her index finger of his forearm, trying to figure how to say what she wanted to.

 

“Yes Miss Stark?,” he asked her, as though he knew her already.

 

She looked down at her lap and grinned, because it was entirely possible that he did.

 

“Well, I was just thinking… and _no pressure_ … obviously but… well… if you _wanted_ to…-“

 

“Are you trying to ask me to be your date to your family’s New Years Eve party?,” he asked her.

 

“I was easing into it…”

 

“My flight is delayed but not _that_ delayed,” he said with an impish grin and she nudged her foot against his calf. He took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb along the back of it, causing goosebumps to rise up her whole arm. “Are you sure you’d want to? I mean… as far as first dates go that’s pretty… full on.”

 

“You’re right,” she shook her head, “It was silly, we can see each other when we’re back. I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything…”

 

He tugged her hand gently until she met his eyes, “I’m not freaked out, and… well I’d love to come… I just want to make sure you really want me to.”

 

“I want you,” she barely whispered and then internally groaned, “To.”

 

He grinned at her and nodded, taking another sip of his drink.

 

“So how fancy is this? Will you be wearing a gown?,” he asked.

 

She grinned and nodded, all but wiggling in her chair, “Mmmhm, it’s green and sparkly and it’ll totally make your trip north worth it.”

 

She wasn’t usually one for over confidence but this dress made her feel more beautiful than anything else she’d ever worn, and considering the way Jon was looking at her in her sweater she felt quite certain his jaw might hit the floor when he saw her.

 

He chuckled and then, as if to prove her point said, “Darlin’ you could wear a potato sack and you’d make the trip north worthwhile. But I suppose I ought to bring my tux then.”

 

Her mouth went dry at the thought of him in a tuxedo. He was the most attractive man she’d ever seen dressed down in a denim shirt and she wasn’t entirely sure that she was prepared to see him in formal wear.

 

She was still trying to figure out how to respond when he pressed his lips to hers again. They were really starting to get the hang of it now and she cupped his cheeks in her palms and kissed him back. She was sure that the other travellers were disgusted by them at this point but she couldn’t find it in her to care, not when it felt like this. Not when it felt like something she’d never felt before.

 

He pulled away after a moment, a contented look on his face.

 

“So who will I be meeting?,” he asked her.

 

“Well, the whole town practically comes to this thing, but in terms of my family, it’s my parents, and then my little sister Arya. You’ll like her, she’s _bonkers_ but so fun and then my younger brothers, Bran, who’s a bit serious like you. He’s twenty and I think his boyfriend Jojen will be there too. Another serious one but really sweet and oddly perceptive. Seriously you’ll be like _I think I’m going to go to the store_. And he’ll be like _Stay away from the avocados_. And first of all you’d be like _How did he know I was going to get avocados?_ But then the next day you’ll read that the avocados had some rare version of E coli or something…”

 

“Okay honestly if he _isn’t_ there then you have wildly oversold him. I’m… I just… I have too many follow up questions to even know where to start…”

 

“You’re a detective,” she pointed out.

 

“I know! So you can understand how frustrating this is.”

 

She giggled and went on, “And then there is Rickon. He basically looks like a younger version of Robb but he acts like a younger version of Robb’s best friend Theon.”

 

“Sounds like quite the brood,” Jon suggested.

 

“It’s a bit crazy when we’re all together,” she admitted, “But they’ll all love you. I know it.”

 

It might be a bit of a hard sell to her parents telling them that she’d invited a near stranger up to stay with them, but she knew Robb would help her spin it. She knew their fears would be assuaged as soon as they met Jon - they couldn’t not be - but she’d have to pick her moment telling them.

 

“Hope so,” he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her face.

 

Their eyes met and she wanted to say something else, but she wasn’t entirely sure what. In truth there was very little to say that hadn’t already been conveyed and he was looking at her like he knew already.

 

“What’d I miss?,” she heard and tore her attention away from Jon to find Robb there looking slightly woebegone.

 

“Jon’s coming for New Years Eve,” she informed him, wanting to rip the bandaid right off.

 

Robb smiled and she moved in her chair to be facing forward as he took the chair on her other side.

 

“Throwing him to the wolves, huh?,” he asked her.

 

“Don’t scare him off!,” Sansa chided.

 

“No fear of that, darlin’,” Jon told her, squeezing her knee. He looked at Robb, “You piss Ella off?”

 

“Her flight left,” Robb explained.

 

She and Jon nodded and kind of _huh’d_ as though they’d both forgotten that this was an airport and that people were actually meant to leave it at some point.

 

“You good?,” Jon asked him.

 

Robb sighed, “What’s the deal with this King’s Landing thing?”

 

Sansa blinked in between them, wondering if Jon knew what Robb was talking about.

 

“Her grandfather’s wanted her to move back ever since she left,” Jon shrugged. “She always puts him off.”

 

“She doesn’t have a return ticket,” Robb lamented.

 

She went to go place her hand on Robb’s forearm but Jon nearly started choking.

 

“What do you mean she doesn’t have a return ticket?,” Jon asked.

 

“I mean she doesn’t have a return ticket! She hasn’t booked it. She says that there is a shiny office in King’s Landing waiting for her and…”

 

Jon pulled out his phone and hit a few numbers and held the phone to his ear. “She’s in the air,” Robb told him.

 

“I don’t care,” Jon said back. “El, it’s Jon. Call me as soon as you land,” he went to hang up and then put it back to his ear, “I’m alright though so don’t freak out. I’m just really pissed at you and you’re going to get your ass handed to you. Okay, love you bye.” Jon hung up and found her and Robb staring at him, “What?”

 

“You really don’t know how to leave threatening voicemails, do you?,” Robb accused.

 

“Why are you saying that like it’s a character flaw?,” Jon questioned back.

 

Robb nodded as though that was a decent point and pulled out his own phone. He started typing and then sighed and put his phone down. He picked it back up and deleted everything and then started typing again. Finally he hit the send button definitively and placed his phone back down on the counter.

 

“What did you say?,” she asked him.

 

“It was nice meeting you,” Robb told her.

 

“Bold,” Jon teased.

 

In spite of himself Robb chuckled. He made fun of Jon for something else quite quickly after that and she settled back in her seat, playing referee when necessary but mostly just sipping her cocktail while she watched them become friends.

 

She checked her phone and saw that her flight wasn’t taking off for hours yet, but as she looked around she realised she might just be the only person in the airport who didn’t mind being stuck exactly where she was.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm thinking one or two more chapters, but we are almost at the end. Hope you're still enjoying it!


	4. But if you really hold me tight...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas, ya'll!

It had come to his attention that he’d been being a bit of a grinch.

 

His mother was the first to broach the topic, in her typical restrained manner.

 

_Darling, is this about Jeyne? We never thought she was right anyway. Odd family, and all that health mumbo-jumbo. How can you trust anyone who won’t eat a piece of cake on their birthday?_

 

His father was as cuddly as ever.

 

_All good, son?_

 

And Arya never lacked for tact.

 

_Dude, you’ve been moping around like you’re pms-ing for days. Snap out of it._

 

Predictably though, it was Sansa who didn’t have to ask, because she already knew.

 

_Jon doesn’t think she’ll stay in King’s Landing. This isn’t the first time they’ve tried to convince her, and it won’t be the last._

 

_I should have kissed her. Just once._

 

_Yes, you should have. So the next time you see her, don’t wait._

 

_And what if I never see her again?_

 

_Now what kind of love story would that be?_

 

They’d been in contact at least. She’d sent him a picture of her with her brother’s cat who looked very proud and judgemental and he’d sent her a picture of the outdoor family Christmas tree. She’d sent him a picture of the very formal place settings for their large dinner and he’d sent her one of his and Rickon’s failed attempts at cookie decorating that got them banned from the kitchen for the rest of the holidays.

 

Christmas Eve felt like the right time to call her.

 

_“Robb?,” she murmured into the phone._

 

_“Is it a bad time?,” he asked as he stepped out into the cold northern air._

 

_“There’s no bad time to see your name on my caller ID,” she said softly._

 

_“I’ve had a bit of whiskey,” he admitted._

 

_“I’ve had some champagne…,” she confessed back._

 

_“I’ve been thinking about you,” he told her. Every second since you left, he wanted to say. “You and this decision you have to make.”_

 

_“Everyone here is telling me what to do and where to go and who to be,” she told him. “I’m not sure I can take it from you too.”_

 

_“Why would I waste my time trying to tell you who to be when who you are is so clear?,” he asked her._

 

_“You’re clever,” she told him. “Terribly clever.”_

 

_“It’s not a trick,” he promised._

 

_“And yet you’ve pulled the rug out from under me all the same.”_

 

_“I’m sorry,” he said, though it was the first hope he’d felt in days._

 

_“Don’t you know that you’re not supposed to lie on Christmas?”_

 

They’d talked for a little while after that about nothing and everything. By the time he’d gone inside his nose was red from cold and his heart was aching in a way it never had done before.

 

Sansa sidled up to him in her sparkly cocktail dress, a wee bit wobbly.

 

“How is she?,” she asked.

 

“How do you do that?,” he wondered.

 

“You were out there for a half hour without a coat and it’s negative ten degrees,” Sansa shrugged, “It’s not terribly hard to put together.”

 

“She’s sad,” he told her. “But she says hello and wanted me to tell you how beautiful you look.”

 

Sansa grinned, “Well go on then.”

 

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “You’re the most beautiful girl in the world, Dovey. You know that.”

 

“Apart from one, eh?,” she asked him. She pulled out her phone, “Want to see the dress she’s wearing tonight?”

 

“Will it kill me?,” he asked.

 

“Probably,” she nodded.

 

“Let’s see it,” he sighed.

 

She flicked through and showed him a picture of Ella posing in a light pink cocktail dress. She looked like the girl he’d first seen speaking to her grandfather, that haughtiness in her tone could practically be heard from the challenging look in her eye. It heartened him a bit. She looked like a girl who knew her own mind. And she was so beautiful that it seemed impossible he’d never see her again.

 

As Sansa had said, _What kind of love story would that be?_

 

And their story was one of love, he was sure of it. The only question was whether it would be a short story or an epic.

 

***

 

Sansa could hardly stand still as she waited in Wintertown’s Grand Central Station.

 

She had been antsy for the past couple of days and had gone for two runs that morning she was so out of sorts. It wasn’t her fault though, Jon was on his way.

 

She looked at her watch and saw 2:23. His train was due to get into track 9 at 2:26. She made her way towards it, pausing to glance in every reflective surface possible. She didn’t want a single hair out of place.

 

She heard the train before she saw it and she started walking more purposefully through the crowds. It was busier than she’d ever seen the station, full of people traveling back and forth in between Christmas and New Years. She was as patient as she could be with the other people milling about but none of these other people were waiting for Jon Snow.

 

They’d been talking constantly since she’d been home, so much that she’d been reprimanded for having her phone at the dinner table and had burned the first group of gingerbread cookies while she was Facetiming him.

 

She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him, but it was like there was a small hole in her heart. It wasn’t an ache, necessarily, not like what Robb was feeling, but just this understanding that there was a part of herself that was absent.

 

If one of her girlfriends had told her that this was the way they felt about a guy they’d spent four hours in an airport with she would have told them that they were crazy. She told herself that she was crazy every morning when she woke up. But then Jon would text her something like _Morning darlin’, I had a dream about you_ and she decided that sanity was entirely overrated.

 

The train finally came to a stop and she started looking around for him as the passengers exited. She didn’t see anyone that looked like him though and started walking down the platform. She got all the way to the end and there was still no sign of him.

 

He would have told her if he hadn’t made it on, he’d had enough hours to do so, but even still she felt herself start to panic. That hole in her heart widened and she told herself she was being stupid but it didn’t help.

 

“SANSA?! SANSA STARK!?,” she heard someone shouting like a crazy person.

 

“JON!?,” she called back, whipping around.

 

“Sansa? SANSA!,” she heard again and she started running towards the sound of his voice.

 

She saw him looking around, gorgeous and just the tiniest bit dishevelled, and she started pushing people out of the way to get to him.

 

“Jon! Over here!,” she called, but it was moot because suddenly she was standing right in front of him.

 

His face broke into the most breathtaking smile she’d ever seen and she didn’t think she just leapt at him. He hugged her to him, her feet well off the ground, and she nuzzled into his neck, breathing him in.

 

“I missed you, darlin’,” he told her, “I missed you more than I knew I was capable of.”

 

She kissed his neck and his cheek and then he set her down and kissed her lips. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him back, relishing in the fact that it felt both familiar and wholly new.

 

All of a sudden she felt something nudging against her leg and she looked down to see the cutest and fluffiest dog she’d ever seen. The reason Jon had taken the train and not flown.

 

She knelt down, “Hello Ghost, I’m Sansa.”

 

He greeted her like his owner did and kissed her face.

 

“In his defence he’s heard a lot about you,” Jon told her as she giggled, rubbing Ghost’s head.

 

“Likewise, Ghost,” she told the dog, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you all week. You’re going to _love_ Winterfell.”

 

“You’re really sure it’s alright that he’s here?,” Jon asked as she stood up.

 

“Of course,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Everyone’s looking forward to meeting _both_ of you.”

 

To her surprise her parents had been entirely fine with Jon coming. As she’d predicted Robb had been helpful, assuring her parents that Jon was a good guy and that they’d understand when they met him. She hadn’t always had the best luck with men but she’d done some growing up since her last relationship and knew that she’d never felt like this about anyone. Apparently it showed.

 

Jon offered her his hand and she slipped hers into it. He looked down at them clasped together and smiled and she pulled him forward through the station. Now it felt like the masses parted for them, but it could have just been that she was no longer in a rush.

 

They got out into the parking lot and she brought him over to her dad’s land rover. He let Ghost in the back seat and put his suitcase in there and he climbed in the passenger seat as she got in the driver’s.

 

“So are you ready?,” she asked him as she pulled out of the parking lot. “For the madness, or do you need some coffee first? I can take you to Nan’s if you want some…”

 

“Throw me to the wolves, Sansa Stark,” he told her, “I’ve been waiting for madness like you all my life.”

 

 


	5. But as long as you love me so...

The Stark’s annual party on New Year’s Eve lay somewhere between myth and legend in the north. It had been going on for at least eighty years, in the very home where Robb grew up, though many stated it went back far longer than that.

 

The menu hadn’t really changed in as many years. To this day lobster tails and oysters lay on one table while liveried waiters served hors d’oeuvres from sterling silver platters dating back to before the revolution. For dinner guests could choose between sole meuniere and beef tenderloin, and both were served with fingerling potatoes in spite of generations of Stark children protesting such a bland accompaniment.

 

Room had been made for modernity, in the inclusion of a DJ that took over for the eight piece band while they took breaks, and the most recent Mrs. Stark had done away with seating assignments all together after a truly ugly altercation that took place the year Robb learned to walk.

 

Robb walked through, speaking to one guest after another, nearly all of whom he’d known since before he knew what it was to know anyone. The guest list had expanded further over the years to include friends of his younger siblings, though after witnessing Rickon and his friend who everyone called Small Jon running around he had had a feeling his mother might not be so generous next year.

 

“Robb Stark as I live and breathe,” Wyman Manderly caught his arm as he was walking towards the bar.

 

“Good to see you, sir,” Robb said and offered his hand.

 

It was only half a lie, he liked Wyman, he just wasn’t much in the party mood this year.

 

“Your father says you’ve got no plans to come take the reins, he keepin’ you away?,” he asked.

 

Robb feigned a chuckle, “No, sir, I’ve just still got some things I’d like to accomplish down south.”

 

_Like getting reservations at Cafe Florian if a certain golden girl will stay in the Riverlands long enough for the tasting menu._

 

“I’ve been watching your work down there, you’ve made some smart moves, the old trout must be pleased with you,” Wyman told him.

 

“Thank you,” Robb nodded, “My grandfather has been very generous in the trust he’s placed in me.”

 

“There’s that Stark humility,” Wyman chortled, wagging his finger at him, he glanced around and beckoned someone forward, “Do you remember my granddaughter Wylla?”

 

The granddaughter in question was a girl with long, coltish limbs and delicate features. She would have been a fine, albeit boring, beauty if not for her somewhat garishly dyed green hair. She wore it in a complicated braid that Sansa would be taking note of and a silver dress that looked like chainmail as it clung to her.

 

_Though it’s leaving a good deal unprotected._

 

“Wylla,” he greeted her warmly, kissing her cheek, “Gorgeous as always.”

 

“A flatterer till the end, eh Stark?,” she asked and he now grinned genuinely. “Grandfather will have us married off before the ball drops because he doesn’t like my choice of men. Buy me a drink and I’ll let you try to convince me why I should be with you instead?”

 

He chuckled and offered her his arm, granting her grandfather a final glance as he took her towards the bar.

 

“So tell me about this rogue of yours,” he prompted her.

 

She let out a guffaw, “Hardly a rogue, just has too few zeroes in his bank account…”

 

Something told him that wasn’t the whole story so he goaded, “Wylla…”

 

“Alright fine and he’s my microeconomics professor, but I really think it’s that first one that has grandfather in such a snit.”

 

He chuckled and shook his head, relieved that nothing had changed. She was in the year in between Sansa and Arya in school and she’d always been a bit of a rebel.

 

“He treating you right, at least?,” he asked her.

 

“What’ll you do if I say no?,” she teased. “Flay him alive?”

 

“Oh I’d think of something…,” he assured her.

 

She chuckled, “Well at ease, soldier. He’s a total gentleman, won’t even fuck me. So what about you, Stark? My grandfather can’t be the only hyena circling the young wolf…”

 

He sighed because as always she was spot on. He’d been stopped half a dozen times already with men hoping to introduce him to their daughters or nieces or younger sisters. The whole thing was beginning to feel like a meat market, but he was the one in danger of being devoured.

 

“Stay close, won’t you?,” he pleaded with her, “Not sure I can take another charming anecdote about Riverrun in the spring.”

“Well there goes _my_ next topic of conversation,” she lamented and he chuckled. “Don’t worry Stark, I’ve got you. Now tell me about this new guy our little dove is dating. I’ve heard he’s _gorgeous_.”

 

Robb rolled his eyes but grinned anyway. If he was a subject of interest at the party, then Jon Snow was front page news. He and Sansa had been the first to start dancing, and though Jon was not quite as elegant a dancer as his younger sister, they made a well-matched pair as they glided across the floor, their eyes never leaving the others’.

 

He’d made quite a stir in the Stark household as well. It had become clear after the first dinner that this was not going to be a passing fancy for either Sansa or Jon. In truth, he’d rarely seen a couple quite so _settled_ as the two of them were and they’d hardly even begun. There was that fresh newness to them, the constant whir of learning new things, the frantic need to be in contact in one way or another at all times, but a deep steadiness as well. Like new buds on an ancient tree.

 

His parents had taken to him and it turned out that his father knew Jon’s mother when she was a girl. His mother had been naturally wary after some of Sansa’s less agreeable relationships, but had been no more resilient than her daughter against his quiet charm. The younger Stark siblings had taken to him immediately just like he had, and there had already been discussions about a trip to the ski house in February.

 

He turned to look where Wylla was looking and found Jon and Sansa at the bar with his father. His father’s arm was wrapped around Sansa’s shoulders as they both laughed at whatever Jon was telling them, and she burrowed her cheek into his chest as his father clapped Jon on the back.

 

“I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon,” he told her.

 

Wylla cocked her head to the side and offered, “He’s kind of got a hot professor vibe about him.”

 

“Wylla…,” Robb warned.

 

She giggled, “I’m _teasing_ you,” she said and pulled him through the party, “Now what about you? Have you met anyone that’s caught your eye?”

 

He turned back to answer her but his eye caught on something golden and bright. Or rather _someone_ golden and bright. Her hair was up with a few pieces framing her gorgeous face and she wore what had to be a custom-made gown that danced over her body gloriously. There were more than a few men glancing curiously at her but she held her head high as she looked around.

 

_Look at me, just once, just once so I know it’s you._

 

As though she’d heard him her gaze fell to him and her lips popped open as though he was the surprise guest.

 

“Excuse me,” he said to Wylla.

 

“Attaboy Stark,” he thought he heard her say but he couldn’t really be sure.

 

He moved through the party and though there had been boys and men alike moving to approach her it was like they sensed him and changed course. Before he knew it he was standing right in front of her.

 

“How?,” he sputtered out.

 

Ella gave him a small smile, and he lost feeling in his feet and hands and the ability to see anything other than that smile.

 

“Santa let me borrow some of his helpers…,” she said and nodded her head towards the bar.

 

He followed it and saw Jon and Sansa there grinning like idiots, his father nowhere to be found. Sansa stuck her tongue out at him and Jon blew him a kiss which in and of itself told him everything he needed to know about how good they were for one another. He couldn’t spare them another thought in that moment though and turned back to Ella.

 

“Why?,” he asked, and then groaned, “I mean not that I didn’t want to -“

 

“Well they say that the way you spend New Years dictates how the rest of the year will follow,” she started and then scrunched her nose in that adorable way of hers and sighed, “Now I don’t know if I believe in any of that, but just in case it’s all true, I figured I ought to spend it with you.”

 

An incredulous laugh bubbled from him as tears sprung to his eyes. He crossed the remaining distance to her and took her lovely cheeks in his hands and kissed her, like it was midnight rather than barely 8 o’clock, because he couldn’t wait for the new year for them to well and truly begin.

 

When their lips met she let out a little sigh like she had been wondering what it would feel like just as much as he had. She tasted of mint and honey and she held onto his wrists as her body fell ever so slightly against his.

 

He pulled away and wondered, his hands still holding her to him, “Does that mean you’ve decided not to move to King’s Landing?”

 

“No,” she shook her head, her cheek leaning into his palm as his heart fell. “I just realised there was no decision to be made.”

 

“Thank god,” he shook his head, leaning his forehead against hers, “It was going to be really difficult to convince my grandfather to open up a division of Tully Corp. in King’s Landing…”

 

It was her turn to let out an incredulous laugh and it tasted sweet when he caught it on his lips.

 

***

 

“Delayed, of _fucking_ course we’re delayed!,” Robb exclaimed.

 

“Be _quiet_ ,” Ella pleaded grouchily.

 

“How are you even hungover?,” Jon asked her in confusion.

 

Robb wrapped his arm gingerly around his new girlfriend’s shoulders and stroked her hair softly, “She stayed up late _bonding_ with Arya last night, over a bottle of, what was it, sweetheart?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Ella moaned and burrowed into him further.

 

Jon chuckled at her but Sansa grimaced. She’d been feeling more or less the same the day before and hadn’t gotten out of bed until dinner time yesterday. Though _some_ of that had to do with Jon being in bed with her, _most_ of it was due to the raging headache. It was 90/10.

 

Okay, maybe 75/25.

 

Definitely no more more than 60/40.

 

She’d apparently already been back in bed by the time Arya and Ella decided to get to know one another better, which she was infinitely grateful for.

 

Jon too had gone to bed early, as had Robb, so they were also both bright eyed. No one more so than Ghost though.

 

She sat down in one of the chairs in the waiting area of Wintertown Grand Central Station and he trod over to her and laid his head in her lap. She rubbed his soft fur and Jon came and sat next to her.

 

He threw his arm around her and pet Ghost as well, which caused a very contented hum to emanate from the dog.

 

“He loves you,” Jon murmured in her ear.

 

She felt goosebumps rise on her neck from the tone he’d used and she leaned her temple against him. He hugged her to him and kissed her temple and they settled back against the chairs.

 

“We’re only delayed by fifteen minutes,” Ella pointed out to Robb.

 

Robb looked sheepish, “I…know.”

 

Ella met her eyes and Sansa giggled as if to say _You chose him_.

 

They had all changed their tickets to take the train with Jon and had a long journey ahead of them. Ella, at the very least, was looking like she was going to need fortifications and she wagered that Jon and Robb were too.

 

“I think I’m going to grab a coffee for the trip, anyone else?,” she asked.

 

“I’m not allowed in there with Ghost, do you mind grabbing me -,” Jon started.

 

“A very boring black coffee?,” she guessed with a grin.

 

He chuckled and nodded and said, “And something with too much sugar, maybe?”

 

“Make that two please,” Robb added, sitting down in her vacated chair and petting Ghost.

 

Her mouth popped open and her older brother grinned at her impishly.

 

Ella rolled her eyes, “You lot will be lucky if we don’t come back with vanilla mocha frappuccinos for you. Come on, Sansa.”

 

With that Ella threaded her arm through hers and lead her towards the coffee shop. Her bravado died as soon as they got in line and she leant her head against Sansa’s shoulder.

 

“Poor little button,” Sansa cooed at her, smoothing her hair. “We should have warned you about Arya.”

 

“She’s way too much fun,” Ella whimpered.

 

“I know, babe,” Sansa nodded.

 

They ordered their coffees and assorted sugary things and went to wait for them.

 

“Sansa,” Ella started, reaching in her bag. She pulled out a small package wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. “I’ve been meaning to give this to you. It’s inadequate as thank yous go, but…”

 

The barista called their name and they went and retrieved everything and started walking towards the boys.

 

“A thank you?,” Sansa wondered, “For what?”

 

Ella looked at her like she was crazy.

 

“For… _everything_. For inviting me to come for a drink and being so kind, for inviting me to Winterfell and convincing me that Robb would be happy to see me,” she shook her head, tears in her eyes. “And even more than that you have no idea what meeting you both did for me, what it gave me the _courage_ to do. You gave me my life back, Sansa Stark.”

 

Sansa grabbed her hand and squeezed it. She opened her mouth to say something but just then they heard Robb’s bright burst of laughter and Jon’s chuckle followed shortly after. They both turned to look at them and she smiled at how familiar they already seemed with one another.

 

“I think we were all meant to meet,” she told Ella.

 

“Like fate?,” Ella asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Sansa said honestly, “I don’t know if it was fate, or a bit of Christmas magic, or just really bad weather that brought us all together. Maybe we’ll never know.”

 

Ella gave her a far-off smile and turned back to look at Robb, “Sometimes it’s more important to appreciate than understand.”

 

_“Train heading to Riverrun boarding on Track 6!”_

 

Jon and Robb hopped up and grabbed all the bags and walked over to join them, Ghost in tow, identical dopey grins on all their faces.

 

“You girls heading our way?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had SO much fun writing this one, a big thank you to @sansaclarkes for the prompt!
> 
> I'm *considering* maybe making this a "holiday" series and checking in on our babies around Valentine's Day. Any interest?
> 
> I'd love to know what you all thought!! xoxo


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